The path to a safety culture

I find it interesting that many executives that I’ve met over the years say “I want a strong safety culture in my organisation”, but when I enquire about their goal, most can’t explain what safety culture is, and even fewer know how to achieve it.

Safety leaders build the safety culture. Harmonisation of safety laws in Australia will increase penalties and impose a positive duty of care, but none of this will help directly to build a safety culture. So the fundamental principle that ‘safety leaders build the safety culture’ remains true. You cannot buy or decree (by company safety policy) a safety culture. Therefore, our goal should be to build a team of safety leaders. We need to train personnel at every level of the organisation, from executives down to the shop floor. In this way we can develop a common language and shared goals.

Myth versus fact

Increasingly, workers and the media are expressing strong opinions on safety issues. However, every manager and supervisor in the ‘chain of command’ needs to thoroughly understand their personal and corporate responsibilities for workplace safety, as safety tasks can be delegated, but not the legal obligations. So what is the lesson from this? Managers and supervisors need to separate myth from fact and not accept unsafe conditions or practices simply because no one has complained or because the safety committee or an employee safety representative condones an unsafe situation.

Existing poor practices or unsafe conditions are unacceptable now, don’t wait for an accident!

Is there too much policy and procedure?

When accidents happen, the common reaction of organisations (and governments) is to regulate more, and insist on stricter enforcement. This usually leads to more rules and procedures. Good safety leaders should challenge this reaction and ask: “If our existing procedures had been followed, would this accident have happened?” If the answer to this question is “no”, then you don’t need more rules, you need to build a culture to ensure the systems you already have are used correctly.

What if you don’t agree with a safety rule?

Good safety leaders don’t accept bad rules, but they don’t ignore them either. Everyone in the organisation should be encouraged to challenge ineffective or impractical procedures, but win or lose, they must comply, unless doing so introduces an immediate risk. This is the healthy safety culture that is needed in every organisation.

Challenges for managers

Many people falsely interpret the desire to be a strong safety leader to mean they should introduce and rigidly enforce anything in the name of safety. This sometimes occurs where senior managers see a safety deficiency and ‘rip’ into the workers in the general area, as they feel they need to be seen to be acting strongly on safety issues.

The more senior a manager is, the greater proportion of things they can do will damage the safety culture, rather than strengthen it. Senior managers need to be more thoughtful and planned in their reaction to safety situations they will likely encounter. Therefore, they need more training and coaching in true safety leadership tactics and skills.

Safety professional or safety fanatic!

Good safety leaders seek good safety rules, and when enforcement is required, it is done with empathy for those who are required to carry out the tasks. Many workers experience a conflict between production efficiency and following all the rules. The test that should be applied is that ‘all safety initiatives must have a safety benefit’.

Generally discipline, or ‘punishment’, should be reserved for those who deliberately and repeatedly breach clear safety rules.

Be a safety professional, not a safety fanatic!

*Gary Rowe is founder and CEO of Safety Action Pty Ltd and is a certified practising risk manager (CPRM). Rowe has over 25 years’ experience in safety management and has qualifications in engineering, education and safety management. He is also a director and supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Victoria.